Chancellor's Pre-Game: UTEP

Curt Bright Author

09/05/2024 Added

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UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett and College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Dean Tiffany Heng-Moss discuss the Elite 11 program and what's happening on campus this fall.

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[00:00:00.000]Welcome back Canada kickoff huskers and the Miners of UTEP headed for a 2:35 kick today as we begin the
[00:00:08.140]college football season for the Cornhuskers here today and we are delighted once again this fall
[00:00:13.480]to be joined every pregame show by the chancellor from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Rodney
[00:00:17.960]Bennett is so good to have you with us here today we have a special guest we'll get to her in just
[00:00:21.860]a moment but it's always really good to see you greg it's so good to be back with you and back
[00:00:26.300]with our listeners all across the state uh it feels like we were just here but we've gone through
[00:00:31.780]a very harsh winter for a southerner like me a very hot summer for a southerner like me
[00:00:38.700]and thankfully we're back to fall and the things that we love about fall to include football and
[00:00:44.800]Husker football in historic memorial stadium so it's nice to be back with you and nice to be back
[00:00:50.040]on the radio and i mentioned you have a guest with you today and that is Tiffany Heng Moss who
[00:00:53.880]is the dean of the college of Agricultural Sciences
[00:00:56.120]and Natural Resources we have chatted in the past it's always good to see you as well yeah
[00:01:00.720]thanks Greg it's good to see you again and to talk to husker nation about the great things
[00:01:05.460]happening at our land grant institution chancellor we get the semester started on monday this past
[00:01:10.780]week off and running had the big red welcome that concluded last week you got to be excited to have
[00:01:15.440]the students back we are and i tell you Greg we have a lot of momentum going into the fall semester
[00:01:20.100]i mean obviously we want to win a ball game uh later today we have a lot of momentum we
[00:01:25.940]we are anxiously anticipating an increase in fall enrollment for first-time full-time freshmen
[00:01:33.260]we're hoping to see an increase in our graduate student population so that's going to be really
[00:01:39.400]good we're doing really well with research we're doing really well with our retention efforts
[00:01:45.560]we're very happy to have welcomed President Gold to his new role coming from the Med Center over
[00:01:52.720]to lead our university system uh the
[00:01:55.760]president and i have a great relationship we work really well together we're in alignment
[00:02:00.660]between the flagship and the land grant and the university system and then he and i together
[00:02:07.580]remain in alignment with Governor Pillen and members of the legislature who are really asking
[00:02:13.160]us to be bold in our thinking and courageous in our actions and really position the University
[00:02:18.960]of Nebraska to take its rightful place among a very impressive landscape of public higher education
[00:02:25.580]institutions across the country so i cannot imagine a better start for the university i mean
[00:02:32.640]clearly we've had a couple bobbles along the way but when you work at this level with such an iconic
[00:02:39.540]institution and an iconic brand it comes with a few bobbles here and there but nothing that we
[00:02:45.080]won't be able to sort through and make uh make good way with in pretty short order i want to go
[00:02:50.480]back to monday not only was it the first day of the semester but it was also it marked the announcement
[00:02:55.400]of the first cohort of students of the elite 11 a new scholarship program for UNL students to grow
[00:03:01.480]the number of veterinarians serving nebraska's livestock producers what can you tell us about
[00:03:05.600]that well we have so many people to thank for that program to include Dean Heng Moss who will
[00:03:11.640]elaborate a little bit more about the program in just a moment but it really is a collaboration
[00:03:17.040]between key partners across the state our veterinary medicine community many of whom
[00:03:22.820]are graduates of our program and our joint program
[00:03:25.220]with iowa we have members of the legislature that we have to thank and recognize we have our system
[00:03:31.940]office that we have to thank and recognize both our system president current President JeffreyGold
[00:03:38.040]and our Interim President Chris Kaborek who did a lot of heavy lifting as this program was getting
[00:03:43.680]off the ground but i would say top among the list of key partners has to be our governor
[00:03:49.540]who really challenged us to think about programs and opportunities
[00:03:55.040]that we could create and invest in that would identify the best and the brightest nebraskan
[00:04:01.700]students give them opportunities to receive a high quality education and then position them
[00:04:07.900]in ways that would allow them to remain residents of the state of nebraska while making critical
[00:04:13.940]contributions across the state as you know there is no area that's more important to the
[00:04:21.300]University of Nebraska and the state of Nebraska than our work
[00:04:24.860]in agriculture and natural resources and an important part of that has to do with our
[00:04:31.500]large animal production and food production animals and so having a cohort of young people
[00:04:38.280]who are dedicating at least eight years of their professional lives and careers
[00:04:44.600]to practicing veterinary medicine in our state is just a win for all parties involved
[00:04:51.120]and Governor Pillen and other members of his leadership team
[00:04:54.680]were really sort of the brains behind the operation in terms of organizing and putting us sort of on the right path to allow that to happen
[00:05:04.260]Dean Heng Moss, what does this scholarship mean for these students and then in essence for the state?
[00:05:10.240]Sure Greg, well the signing ceremony spoke volumes
[00:05:13.780]in terms of the young talent in the room
[00:05:16.160]and the significance this program holds
[00:05:18.540]for the livestock production industry.
[00:05:20.620]The Elite 11 program is critically important to Nebraska,
[00:05:24.120]where the livestock industry contributes
[00:05:26.420]more than 6 billion annually to the state's economy.
[00:05:29.480]Unfortunately, the number of veterinarians
[00:05:32.180]is declining in Nebraska, as in most states.
[00:05:34.980]And one of the key factors in this
[00:05:37.160]is the cost of a degree is a contributing factor
[00:05:40.900]and doesn't provide access to our talented students
[00:05:44.680]in the state of Nebraska to pursue their dreams
[00:05:46.940]to be a veterinarian.
[00:05:48.340]This program, as the chancellor mentioned,
[00:05:50.560]it's a partnership among the governor, his team,
[00:05:53.400]the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
[00:05:56.500]at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
[00:05:58.280]our food animal veterinarians, and the livestock industry.
[00:06:02.020]And it's really key to meeting a critical need
[00:06:04.860]for Nebraska's agriculture
[00:06:06.260]while helping our UNL students pursue
[00:06:08.820]their ambitious and challenging dreams.
[00:06:10.720]So can you explain more how the scholarship works?
[00:06:13.980]Absolutely.
[00:06:14.640]So we were thrilled when we identified this opportunity
[00:06:19.880]for the university and we quickly got to work
[00:06:22.920]last spring semester.
[00:06:24.540]And so we did a call for students
[00:06:27.040]who had a passion for animal care and agriculture
[00:06:30.620]and wanted to pursue a career
[00:06:32.780]as a large production animal veterinarian.
[00:06:35.280]And we had a great pool of applicants.
[00:06:37.480]And from there, we selected 19 newists
[00:06:40.480]and new freshmen that values attributes aligned
[00:06:45.280]with what the Elite 11 program was created for.
[00:06:49.200]These students, they receive a scholarship
[00:06:51.300]to cover 50% of their tuition
[00:06:53.460]for their first and second years.
[00:06:55.860]As part of this program,
[00:06:57.160]they also will participate
[00:06:59.120]in the Nebraska Aspiring Production Animal Veterinary Program
[00:07:03.620]and through this, they'll get mentoring,
[00:07:06.040]immersive experiences, job shadowing,
[00:07:09.760]internship opportunities.
[00:07:11.680]And the exciting thing about this
[00:07:13.340]is that they are going to learn from the very best,
[00:07:15.900]which are our talented veterinarians
[00:07:17.600]across greater Nebraska.
[00:07:19.820]And so after successfully completing their second year,
[00:07:23.100]then they will compete for a spot as one of the Elite 11
[00:07:27.240]and those that are selected will then get 100%
[00:07:30.620]of their tuition covered for their third and fourth years.
[00:07:33.620]That will allow them to complete their Bachelor of Science
[00:07:36.420]in Animal Science or Veterinary Science.
[00:07:39.040]And then they will have their pathway
[00:07:40.800]to complete their DVM program.
[00:07:42.880]And as the Chancellor mentioned,
[00:07:44.080]this is in partnership with Iowa State.
[00:07:46.260]And the exciting thing is that all four years
[00:07:48.460]of the DVM will be covered,
[00:07:50.640]which will eliminate that barrier for students
[00:07:54.300]to pursue their passions in that.
[00:07:56.180]And then after completing their DVM,
[00:07:58.640]these graduates will serve rural Nebraska
[00:08:00.480]as a production animal veterinarian.
[00:08:02.480]- Fantastic.
[00:08:03.400]Chancellor Bennett, let's wrap up by talking about
[00:08:05.900]how this effort folds into the bigger picture
[00:08:08.320]of trying to recruit and retain students.
[00:08:09.980]- Right, right, right.
[00:08:10.940]You know, I really think it just speaks volumes
[00:08:13.080]about the extent to which the university system
[00:08:17.240]and the state of Nebraska is willing to go
[00:08:19.280]to invest in the young people across the state.
[00:08:22.840]Just think about how critical these young people will be
[00:08:26.180]over the course of their careers to so many ranchers
[00:08:30.000]and farmers and other individuals across the state
[00:08:33.380]who believe in animal, large animal food production,
[00:08:37.600]animals of really every type.
[00:08:42.040]Having young people who have a pathway to work
[00:08:45.880]in that industry is a critical part of just our strategy
[00:08:49.380]around investing in the state and elevating our state
[00:08:53.380]and making our state competitive for in-state students,
[00:08:56.860]but also for any person who is in alignment
[00:08:59.680]and agrees with the things that we have going on here
[00:09:02.580]in Nebraska and at the University of Nebraska.
[00:09:04.860]- Fantastic.
[00:09:05.700]Always good to see you.
[00:09:06.540]We'll talk again next week.
[00:09:06.880]And I know UTEP today, the first game of the year,
[00:09:09.360]you know their coach a little bit.
[00:09:10.200]- I do, I do know their coach.
[00:09:11.880]Well, first, let me say, in all things,
[00:09:14.200]I'm cheering for the Huskers.
[00:09:16.300]So now that we've said that,
[00:09:17.960]Scotty Walden is a person who coached at Southern Miss
[00:09:22.720]for one game as our head coach,
[00:09:24.640]as the head coach there when I was still president.
[00:09:27.260]I left and went on to Austin Peay State University
[00:09:30.960]for a period of time,
[00:09:31.860]and now has found his way out to El Paso, Texas,
[00:09:36.860]to coach for UTEP.
[00:09:38.740]So I hope he has a good experience here in Lincoln.
[00:09:41.780]Unfortunately, they will not be getting a win today,
[00:09:44.860]but nonetheless, I hope they have a good experience,
[00:09:47.060]and we all are very proud of Scotty.
[00:09:49.580]I do, Greg, wanna do like I normally do on the broadcast,
[00:09:53.260]is give a shout out to Mark McCard
[00:09:55.980]and all of our friends at Nebraska Farm Bureau.
[00:09:59.540]We appreciate all the ways in which they help the university.
[00:10:02.700]And I also wanna add to my list,
[00:10:04.600]Lisa Lunds up in Wakefield,
[00:10:06.640]Nebraska, former president of Ag Builders,
[00:10:10.680]who is a big supporter of the university.
[00:10:14.000]And we hope that she's listening into the game today
[00:10:16.300]with her family and sharing the Husker zone.
[00:10:19.240]- Fantastic.
[00:10:20.080]Dean Hengmosk, always great to see you as well.
[00:10:21.920]- Yeah, good to see you too, Greg, thanks.
[00:10:23.640]- We'll have more pregame coming up.
[00:10:24.740]Matt Cody's got the Big Ten Blitz next.

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